Ball from Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal sold at auction for $3.35 million

The match ball used in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, which went down in football history thanks to Diego Maradona, has been sold for $3.35 million at an auction held in the US.

The Adidas Azteca ball, which found a buyer at an auction held by Heritage Auctions on Saturday, was on the pitch during the match where Argentina defeated England 2-1. The match holds a special place in football memory due to the two goals Maradona scored that same day.

In the match played in Mexico, Maradona’s first goal came when he sent the ball into the net over England goalkeeper Peter Shilton with his left hand. The play, which the referees ruled a goal, was later dubbed the “Hand of God.”

Just four minutes after that goal, the Argentine star took the ball from his own half, dribbled past five English players, and found the back of the net once again. This goal was later voted the “Goal of the Century” by FIFA.

The ball, which had been kept for 36 years by the match’s Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, was sold at another auction in London in 2022 for 2 million pounds, which was equivalent to $2.37 million at the time.

The jersey Maradona wore in the same match also reached record prices among football collectibles; it was sold for approximately $9.3 million at an auction held by Sotheby’s in 2022.